Why "Polyester" Became an Insult (And Why Brands Are Still Making More of It) Shayeza Walid, sustainability journalist at The Business of Fashion Polyester turned into a slur online this year. Teenagers use it to mean cheap, plastic, fake, and people now read clothing labels the way they read ingredients lists. So the obvious question is whether any of that hatred has changed what the industry actually makes. It has not. Shayeza Walid, who covers sustainability at The Business of Fashion, brings Jamila the numbers: fashion's carbon emissions rose 14 percent in a single year, and rising polyester production was one of the reasons why. From there the conversation goes somewhere more uncomfortable than material swaps, into why a brand can print organic cotton on every label while hiding the only figure that matters, why the $800 sustainable sweater wrecked the whole movement, and why a working journalist says she does not trust certifications 80 percent of the time. If you have ever stood in a shop trying to work out whether you are the problem, this one is for you. About the guest Shayeza Walid is Senior Editorial Associate covering sustainability at The Business of Fashion, based in London, where she reports on fashion's environmental impact, climate accountability, supply chains and labour. She writes BoF's sustainability newsletter, The Frayed Edge. Before BoF she was a contributing reporter at The New York Times covering South Asia, and contributed to Variety, Esquire and Screen International. She holds a masters from Columbia Journalism School. What you will learn Why fashion's carbon emissions rose 14 percent from 2023 to 2024 while every brand was announcing climate targetsWhy hating polyester online has not reduced how much of it gets produced, and what actually wouldThe reason a sustainability journalist does not trust certifications about 80 percent of the timeWhy scale is the one number a brand can hide behind a conscious collection, and what to look at insteadHow the $800 regenerative sweater narrative made sustainability feel like a class marker and pushed people away from itWhy durability is a better metric than material makeup, using Patagonia's heavy polyester use as the exampleWhat the new French anti fast fashion levy and the incoming EU green claims rule will and will not fixWhy recycled polyester is a genuinely good idea that still fails the Global South Notable quotes "Scale is the one thing that's very easy to kind of hide when you're marketing your brand." Shayeza Walid"One polyester sweater that lasts 15 years is better than somebody buying 15 organic cotton sweaters every season." Jamila Brown"The average person can't afford the $800 sweater." Shayeza Walid"I don't trust certifications about 80 percent of the time." Shayeza Walid"Regulation doesn't change the motivation or the incentive of why corporations work, which is profit." Shayeza Walid Resources mentioned The Business of Fashion, and Shayeza's sustainability newsletter The Frayed EdgeThe Apparel Impact Institute, whose 2024 data showed the 14 percent emissions riseFrance's anti fast fashion law, in force from 1 September, levying Shein and TemuThe incoming EU green claims regulation on misleading sustainability marketingOshadi, the South India brand that owns its own farms, and Kotn, the Canadian Egyptian cotton brand working directly with Egyptian farmsBrands discussed: Shein, Temu, H&M, Zara, Mango, Primark, Patagonia, Stella McCartney, Another Tomorrow, Everlane, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Apparel, Gap, MadewellCollaborations discussed: Stella McCartney x H&M, H&M x Elie Saab, Coach x Penguin book charms, Jonathan Anderson's Dior book totes Connect with Shayeza Walid Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shayeza_/Newsletter: The Frayed Edge at The Business of Fashion Connect with Ethically Questionable YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EthicallyQuestionablePodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethicallyquestionable/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
